Means for reinforcing refractory furnace walls and the like



R. T. GILES Filed Aug. V1, 1940 MEANS FOR REINFRCING REFRAGTORY FURNACEWALLS AND THE LIKE April 27, 1943.

Patented Apr. 27, 1943 MEANS FOR REINFORCING REFRACTORY FURNACE WALLSAND THE LIKE Roy T. Giles, Daytona Beach', m. Application August 1,1940, serial No. 349,262

(c1. 'z2-101i 6 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to metallurgical furnaces and the like, andparticularly to an improved reinforcing for the refractory arches,walls, etc. thereof.

Various means and designs have been suggested and used for reinforcingrefractory furnace walls, arches, doors and the bottoms of metallurgicalfurnaces, soaking pit covers and the like. While most of thesereinforcing means provide a satisfactory reinforcement for therefractorymaterial, which is usually concrete, they are unsatisfactoryin other respects. The most common method used for reinforcing therefractory material is to embedv completely therein carbon steel bars.Such steel bars usually absorbed so much heat during the heat treatingof thematerials in the furnace lthat the temperature thereof oftentimesexceeds 600 or 700 Fahrenheit, which is undesirable and thus renderedsuch steel bar reinforcing unsatisfactory. 'I'his was particularly s oin the case of dat arches in that the conventional reinforcing methodsrequired that the steel bar reinforcing be placed near the bottomtherein which, of course, is where the temperature is highest, and

this eventually results in failure of such arches due to the extremetemperatures to which the reinforcing steel bars are subjected. That is,the

heat is absorbed by the steel bars and there is no Way in which it canbe dissipated therefrom, due to the .fact that the .steel reinforcingbars are completely embedded in the refractory ma terial.y

Inthe present invention, there is provided'an improved means forreinforcing furnace walls, arches, etc. in which all the above nameddisadvantages have been eliminated, and at the same time, one whichpossesses all of the primary requisites of a good reinforcing forrefractory material.

Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention toprovide -an improved means for reinforcing refractory 'walls and thelike which is simple and inexpensive and yet, one in which any heatabsorbed thereby is rapidly` and efficiently dissipated therefrom sothat the reinforcing means is maintained at a relatively low temperatureat all times,

It is another object of the. invention to provide' an improved means forreinforcing refractory walls and the like, which is strong and ruggedand, at the same time, one in which any danger of failure is eliminated.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a flat arch or coverfor metallurgical furnaces, soaking pits and the like, which is adecided improvement over any heretofore suggested or used.

Various other objects and advantages' 0f this invention will become moreapparent in the course of the following specification and will be lcorporated therewith;

particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing,there is shown,

for the purpose of illustration and description; an embodiment which myinvention may assume in practice. Y In the drawing:

' Figure 1 is a plan view of a furnacearch showing theimproved-reinforcing of my invention in- Figure 2 is a section taken online Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a section taken on Figure 2. A

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved reinforcingVmeans 'of my invention for reinforcing refractory materials shownincorporated merely forthe purpose of illustration with an improved fiatarch or'cover for metallurgical furnaces and it will be understood thatmy improved reinforcing means asshown in connection therewith may beused to reinforce the refractory walls, bottoms, doors, etc. of suchfurnaces if so desired.y

There is shown a substantially 'square shaped fiat arch or cover 2consisting namely of a refractory material 3 which may be refractoryconcrete or any other suitable refractory material. There is arrangedaround the outer sides of the refractory material 3 a plurality ofangle-iron reinforcing members 4, namely, four in the present instancewith one positioned on each side of the arch and having theirv endsjoined angularly as at 5 preferably by means of welding so as to providea metallic frame-like portion, around the outer and upper edges'of thearch. One of the flanges 6 of each of the angle-iron members 4 extendsdownwardly along the side of the refractory material 3 directly nextthereto and preferably being cupped in yslightly so as to be Within theouter dimensions of therefractory material of the arch. The other flange1 of each of the angle-iron members 4 is disposed on the outer side ofthe refractory material and lying substantially flush with the outersurface thereof so as to be exposed to the atmosphere.

There is arranged across the outer side of the refractory material 3 aplurality ot spaced apart angle-iron reinforcing members 8 having oneange 9 embedded in the refractory material and the ends thereofpreferably overlapping the respectiveopp'osite angle-iron members 4 ofthe frame-like portion as at I 0, to whichthey are connected preferablyby means of welding. There line III-III yof is arranged with each of theembedded flanges 9 means for anchoring the same therein. This is donepreferably by cutting the inner edge of the vflange 9 or each of theangle-iron members 8 at spaced apart intervals therealong from the outeredge thereof to a point intermediate the depth thereof so as to provideportions i2 which are bent slightly and alternately in oppositedirections so as to provide means for securely anchoring the flanges lin the refractory material whereby the same is securely supported. Theother flange Il of each of the angle-iron reinforcing members 8 liessubstantially flush with the outer surface ofthe refractory material soas to be exposed also to the atmosphere.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that any heat absorbed bythe inner or embedded flanges i and -9 of the angle-iron reinforcingmembers I and l, respectively, will be rapidly and efficientlydissipated to the atmosphere through the respective outer flanges 1 andIl which are exposed thereto, thereby providing an arch or reinforcingmeans which will last indefinitely without failure.

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of the presentinvention, it will be seen that I'do not wish to be limited exactlythereto, since various modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope of the invention. as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a refractory arch and the like for furnaces of the classdescribed, means for reinforcing the same, consisting of a plurality ofangleiron reinforcing members with some of said members arranged aroundsaid Varch and having their ends connected to gether with one flangethereof extending downwardly along the sides of the refractory materialso as to provide a frame-like portion for the arch and the other of saidangleiron reinforcing members disposed along the.

outer surface and across the arch'with their ends connected respectivelyto opposed first mentioned angle-iron frame members and having oneharige thereof embedded in the refractory material of the arch with theinner edge portions thereof bent alternately in opposite directions soas to securely anchor the angle-iron members in the refractory material,andthe other flange of all of said angleiron reinforcing members lyingsubstantially flush with the refractory material on the outer sidethereof and exposed to the atmosphere whereby any heat absorbed by saidangle-iron members will be rapidly dissipated to the atmosphere.

2.. In a-refractory wall 'or the like for furnaces l of the classdescribed, means for reinforcing said refractory wall including fourangle-iron members with one arranged on each side of said wall havingtheir ends connected respectively to each other at the corners so as toprovide a substantially rectangular-shaped metallic frame which isdisposed on the outer side of said wall, one of the flanges of each ofsaid angle-iron members extending inwardly along the respective sides ofthe refractory wall with the other harige yof each of said angle-ironmembers extending inwardly toward the center of the same substantiallyflush with the outer surface yof the Vwall so as to be exposed to theatmosphere, and at least one angleiron member arranged across saidrefractory wall on the outer side thereof with the opposed ends thereofconnected to said first mentioned angleiron members, said last mentionedangle-iron member having one ange thereof embedded inthe refractory wallwith the other ange lying substantially flush with the outer surfaceofthe wall so as to be exposed to the atmosphere where by any heatabsorbed by any of said angle-iron members will be rapidly dissipated tothe atmosphere,v

3. In a refractory wall or the like for-furnaces of the class described,means for reinforcing said refractory wail including four angle-ironmembers with one arranged on each side of said wall having their endsconnected respectively to each other at the corners so as to provide asubstantially rectangular-shaped metallic frame which is disposed on theouter side of said wall, one of the flanges of each of said angle-ironmembers extending inwardly along the respective sides of the refractorywall with the other flange of each of said angle-iron members extendinginwardly toward the center of the same substantially flush with theouter surface of the wall so as to be exposed to the atmosphere, and aplurality of spaced apart angle-iron members arranged across saidrefractory wall on the outer side thereof with the opposed ends of eachof the angle-iron members connected to some of said first mentionedangle-iron members, each of said last mentioned angle-iron membershaving one flange thereof embedded in the refractory wall with the otherflange lying substantially flush with the outer surface of the wall soas to be exposed to the atmosphere whereby any heat absorbed by any ofsaid angle iron members will be rapidly dissipated to the atmosphere.

4. In a refractory wall or the like for furnaces of the class described,means for reinforcing said refractory wall as defined in claim 3whereinthe inner edge of the flange embedded in the wail of at leastsome of the angle-iron members is cut at spaced apart intervalsvtherealong with the portions between the cuts bent alternately inopposite directions whereby each of said flanges so formed is securelyamxed in the refractory wall.

5. A refractory panel of the class described comprising a solid mass ofrefractory material,

a rectangular-shaped peripheral frame arranged around said refractorymaterial, said frame consisting of a plurality of structural memberswith one arranged on each side of the panel and having theirends'securely connected respectively to each other, said structuralmembers having a portion thereof disposed along the respective sides ofthe lrefractory material and a portion thereof disposed against theouterface of the material so as to be exposed to the atmosphere, and at leastlone structural member arranged across the frame and outer face of saidrefractory material with the ends thereof securely connected to thestructural members as first mentioned.

said last mentioned structural memberehaving a portion thereof embeddedin the Vrefractory material 6. A refractory panellof the class describedl comprising a solid mass of refractory material, a rectangular-shapedperipheral frame arranged around said refractory material, said framecon sisting of at least four angle-iron members with one arranged oneach side of the panel and haveach other at the corners, one of theanges of each of said angle-iron members disposed along the respectivesides of the refractory material with the other flange of each of saidangle-iron members disposed against the outer face of the material so asto be exposed to the atmosphere, and at least one structural memberarranged across the frame and outer face of said refractory materialwith the ends thereof securely connected to the angle-iron members, saidstructural member having a portion thereof embedded in the refractorymaterial.

Roy T, onine.

